Microbial colonization in diverse surface soil types in Surtsey and diversity analysis of its subsurface microbiota

A study on Surtsey reveals that microbial colonization is significantly influenced by nutrient availability and environmental factors. The research found that bacterial counts were markedly higher in vegetated soils or pumice with bird droppings (1 × 106–1 × 109 cells g−1) compared to almost pure pumice (1 × 104–1 × 105 cells g−1). Faecal bacteria, including Enterobacteriaceae, were detected exclusively in vegetated samples and those with bird droppings. Notably, human pathogens like Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria were absent. Subsurface analysis at depths of 145 and 172 meters identified thermophilic bacteria and archaea, though no growth was observed in enrichments. The microbiota sequences showed low affiliation to known 16S rRNA gene sequences, indicating novel or uncharacterized microbial diversity.

Marteinsson, V., Klonowski, A., Reynisson, E., Vannier, P., Sigurdsson, B. D., & Ólafsson, M. (2015). Microbial colonization in diverse surface soil types in Surtsey and diversity analysis of its subsurface microbiota. Biogeosciences, 12(4), 1191–1203. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-1191-2015